help me pick a "greatest challenge" essay topic

[spf15]

two possible topics for this pesky "greatest challenge" essay:

1) my parents had tough childhoods. I know this isn't a challenge I dealt with directly, and I grew up in a stable family in a well-off suburban neighborhood... but these challenges have affected the way I have perceived my own privileged upbringing, and at some point in my life it was very difficult for me to reconcile the differences between mine and my parents' childhoods. I don't really want it to be a sob story though, which is why i'm inclined to write about the second topic:

2) I teach an instrument. I've had a variety of students, some more difficult than others. One student changed the way I view teaching because she struggled with the same thing that I did as a beginning student, and though at some point I wanted to tell her parents that I just wasnt the right music teacher for her, I think sticking through it ended up being a good learning experience for both of us.

Was (2) my GREATEST challenge? Honestly, (1) was much more challenging for me, but I almost feel like it's too personal for me to write about... and I'm not sure if it'd be interpreted as me writing about somebody else's problem and/or a sob story. (2) is an issue I feel passionately about. Just wanted to know your opinion. thanks!

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[LizzyM]

two possible topics for this pesky "greatest challenge" essay:

1) grandmother was an orphan / abused, mother also grew up without knowing her parents / was abused; father had to flee hometown due to political instability there, and his family lost their life savings as well at some point. I know this isn't a challenge I dealt with directly, and I grew up in a stable family in a well-off suburban neighborhood... but these challenges have affected the way I have perceived my own privileged upbringing, and at some point in my life it was very difficult for me to reconcile the differences between mine and my parents' childhoods. I don't really want it to be a sob story though, which is why i'm inclined to write about the second topic:

2) I teach an instrument. I've had a variety of students, some more difficult than others. One student changed the way I view teaching because she struggled with the same thing that I did as a beginning student, and though at some point I wanted to tell her parents that I just wasnt the right music teacher for her, I think sticking through it ended up being a good learning experience for both of us.

Was (2) my GREATEST challenge? Honestly, (1) was much more challenging for me, but I almost feel like it's too personal for me to write about... and I'm not sure if it'd be interpreted as me writing about somebody else's problem and/or a sob story. (2) is an issue I feel passionately about. Just wanted to know your opinion. thanks!

Challenge #1, really, is having been raised by parents who had very challenging upbringing and who may have been making adjustments to a new culture or a new country as well as navigating economic hardships and learning how to build familial relationships. Their interactions with you in light of their upbringing might have been a challenge for you. That does seem deeply personal and hard to spell into "how did you work to overcome the challege?"

Challenge #2 seems very straightforward and has some relevance to medical education and the practice of medicine as you will have fellow classmates, patients, and perhaps someday, trainees of your own. Your ability to adjust your teaching style to meet the needs of people with diferent learning styles and different capacities to learn makes you an attractive candidate. I'd suggest picking #2.

 

[spf15]

thanks LizzyM, that's what I thought, too. I appreciate your help!

 

[spf15]

LizzyM (and others), I have a question... Is the information in #1 anything I should tell the schools at all (like in a "is there anything else you'd like us to know about you" response)? It has definitely affected me as a person. My diversity essay didn't talk about this at any point, though. I had something else to write about there.

 

[Law2Doc]

two possible topics for this pesky "greatest challenge" essay:

1) my parents had tough childhoods. I know this isn't a challenge I dealt with directly, and I grew up in a stable family in a well-off suburban neighborhood... but these challenges have affected the way I have perceived my own privileged upbringing, and at some point in my life it was very difficult for me to reconcile the differences between mine and my parents' childhoods. I don't really want it to be a sob story though, which is why i'm inclined to write about the second topic:

2) I teach an instrument. I've had a variety of students, some more difficult than others. One student changed the way I view teaching because she struggled with the same thing that I did as a beginning student, and though at some point I wanted to tell her parents that I just wasnt the right music teacher for her, I think sticking through it ended up being a good learning experience for both of us.

Was (2) my GREATEST challenge? Honestly, (1) was much more challenging for me, but I almost feel like it's too personal for me to write about... and I'm not sure if it'd be interpreted as me writing about somebody else's problem and/or a sob story. (2) is an issue I feel passionately about. Just wanted to know your opinion. thanks!

It sounds like this essay question itself is your greatest challenge.

 

[LizzyM]

LizzyM (and others), I have a question... Is the information in #1 anything I should tell the schools at all (like in a "is there anything else you'd like us to know about you" response)? It has definitely affected me as a person. My diversity essay didn't talk about this at any point, though. I had something else to write about there.

If you can spin this in a way that comes across as upbeat, and could (but won't) end with "and that's why I'm well prepared to be an excellent student at your medical school and a dedicated physician to my patients" then go for it. Don't let it end with "feel sorry for me because my family has had so many tough breaks."

Some people use this space (if the school is research oriented) to describe their research in greater detail than they had an opportunity to do in the application. Others use it to describe in greater detail a formative experience such as varsity sports, extensive solo travel, etc. Whatever you write should end on a happy, or at least a "things are looking up", note and not be a downer.